Utilizing unarmed damage progression with a weapon?

[Huduvudu]

I'm thinking about playing a Ranger/Monk to try out the Ascetic Hunter feat (levels stack for unarmed damage progression and bonus to unarmed stunning fist DC), and short of playing an archer-ranger and using unarmed attacks in close range, it seems kind of restrictive. The point of it seems to be using favored enemy and unarmed attacks in unison, but favored enemy really isn't my favorite Ranger trait.

Does anyone know of a feat, style, enchantment, or anything that would perhaps grant some sort of bonus to armed attacks based on your unarmed attack damage, so I could take the two-weapon fighting route instead of archery and not be completely gimped?

I realize the inherent idea of using unarmed attacks is not using a weapon, but humor me if you will.

Say what you will about Monks, but please say it elsewhere.

[Worira]

You can TWF with your fists, you know. You have two.

[Armads]

Drunken Master lets you wield improvised weapons that deal damage equal to your unarmed strike damage, with a little bit of bonus damage on top.

[BRC]

You could wear a pair of gauntlets, enchant them, and use Pizza of +5 DM bribery to let that equal magic bonuses on unarmed attacks.

[CthulhuM]

You could wear a pair of gauntlets, enchant them, and use Pizza of +5 DM bribery to let that equal magic bonuses on unarmed attacks.

I don't think any DM bribery is required there. Gauntlets act in all ways as your unarmed strike, so if you can enchant them (which you can, since they're a standard manufactured weapon) those enchantments apply to "unarmed" attacks made with them.

A ranger using TWF with monk unarmed progression might actually be fairly decent. You'd avoid the monk's problem of having crappy base attack, and the high damage dice on the unarmed strikes would help to compensate for the relatively poor damage TWF usually yields. It wouldn't be a great build, but it would be quite playable, I think.

[playswithfire]

Scorpion Kama from Magic Item compendium; does damage equal to your unarmed strike damage, is flurryable, monk's proficient and you can add enhancements. 6,302 gp and it's a +1 Kama so 4,302 base price and a +1 enhancement; do the math from there to add more to it.

It's also part of a set; Gharyn's Monastic Array

The other pieces are
COBRA STRAPS (1,400 gp)
once a day, make an unarmed attack at the end of a charge, move 5 ft away with no AoO

PANTHER MASK (2,700 gp)
gain Run feat, +5-foot enhancement bonus in light or no armor

Wear 2 pieces and you stunning fist DC goes up by 1
Wear all 3, and when you crit with the kama, you can use a stunning fist attempt to make it a stunning attack as a free action

So 17000 gp gets you the full set dual wielding scorpion kamas and the set bonuses; could be worse.

[Fuzzy_Juan]

well, I think that there are magic items that grant your hands bonuses to attack. Was it mighty fists? Magical handwraps in Sword and Fist...I don't remember. I guess I was mistaken in thinking that their damage in the use of 'monk weapons' increased in line with their unarmed damage...just as well...wouldn't want shuriken doing 2d10 damage.

OOh...what about those psionic tatoos? would those work?

[ocato]

Take the TWF line, use a greatsword. Take standard power attack feats (leap attack and whatever else tickles you), as well as Snap Kick (ToB), Flying kick, and Two Weapon Pounce.

You'll be able to wail on people with full two hander smack down. Typically, it's TWF with a d12 sword and a scaling fist instead of two short swords or something. There is some argument that TWF with an unarmed strike doesn't incur regular TWF penalties including the -2 and the strength penalties. This is not clearly specified one way or another and I don't have errata that I know about. With or without it, this is still a decent set up.

Snap Kick means whenever you make an attack with a weapon, you can make an unarmed attack as well, meaning you can attack with both weapon and unarmed strike as a standard action. Two Weapon Pounce and flying kick means that when you charge (leap attacking charge, ideally) you can attack with both weapons and your secondary, unarmed strike, gets +1d12 damage.

Worth a shot, at least.

[Huduvudu]

Scorpion Kama from Magic Item compendium; does damage equal to your unarmed strike damage, is flurryable, monk's proficient and you can add enhancements. 6,302 gp and it's a +1 Kama so 4,302 base price and a +1 enhancement; do the math from there to add more to it.

That sound's pretty perfect actually. I had been meaning to give kama a run but wasn't expecting utility out of it like this. Thanks!

CthulhuM: I hadn't considered that at all, so that's definitely a valid option.

Fuzzy_Juan: My DM tends not to favor Psionic because of the, er, complexity it adds to the game. Sword and Fist might be worth a shot if I can catch a look at it sometime.

Anyway, thanks all for your input and tolerance.

[Fuzzy_Juan]

Yes, sword and fist has the amulet of mighty fists (+1 - +5) that grants your fists a bonus to hit and damage...this was later adopted into the 3.5 DMG and works for natural attacks in addition to just fists.

In the Sword and Fist, there is also a ring of shocking grasp that uses a command word to charge one's hand with a 1d8+3 electric charge that may be delivered (and discharged) with a touch or a strike. There is also the potion of flaming fists (uses burning hands) that adds 1d6 fire damage to unarmed strikes for 3 minutes. I believe that is precident enough for a custom magic ring or glove that does the same...Possibly a simple 'fighting glove' that does mighty fist and can be enchanted to give the standard weapon things. flaming, thundering, shocking...perhaps even the bursting stuff later on.

Those kamas are neat...